A publication of Bureau of Land Management in California
Issue 579 - May 9, 2013
THIS WEEK IN NEWS.BYTES:
- Let's Get Outside
- Now on YouTube
- Other social media pages
- Not for educators only: Wildlife trivia question of the week
- Wild Horses and Burros
- Headlines and highlights: Assorted topics from your public lands in California
- Energy
- National BLM and Department of the Interior
- Selected Upcoming Events
If this message does not show up properly in your email, you can see it online at:
www.blm.gov/ca/news/newsbytes/2013/579.html
GET OUTSIDE IN AMERICA'S GREAT OUTDOORS
 Take your kids to the Fort Ord National Monument One Year Anniversary Celebration. On Saturday,
May 11 the Bureau of Land Management and FORT friends will host guided hikes, refreshments, and music. Learn more and register at http://fortfriends.net/
RELATED: "Fort Ord National Monument - Recreation Opportunities"
(Hollister Field Office)
The Fort Ord National Monument offers world-class recreation for residents and visitors to the Central California Coast. Fort Ord offers 86 miles of trail on approximately 7,200 acres - open every day from dawn to dusk for hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, wildlife/wildflower
photographers and nature enthusiats. http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/hollister/fort_ord/_recreation_fo.html |
Now on YouTube...
 Take a video tour of the Cosumnes River Preserve. Nestled in the heart of California's Central Valley, The Preserve is a critical
stop on the Pacific Flyway for migrating and wintering waterfowl. Over 250 species of birds have been sighted on or near the Preserve, including the State-listed threatened Swainson hawk, greater and lesser sandhill cranes, Canada geese and numerous ducks. Watch the video at http://youtu.be/p0j_UsR6M6g
RELATED: "Cosumnes River Preserve" (Mother Lode Field Office)
The Cosumnes River Preserve is home to California's largest remaining valley oak riparian forest, and is one of the few protected wetland habitat areas in the state. This habitat has been reduced by more than 90% of its historical occurrence in California. The Preserve includes 46,000 acres of
central valley grasslands, vernal pools, wetlands and valley oak forests. http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/folsom/cosumpres.html |
ON OUR OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES...
 Happy 5th Birthday Piedras Blancas! On May 8, 2008, President Bush signed PL 110-229 into law, establishing the Piedras Blancas
Light Station Outstanding Natural Area in California. Piedras Blancas Light Station is located on a rugged windswept point of land six miles north of Hearst Castle, along California's scenic Highway One.
http://mypubliclands.tumblr.com/
RELATED: "Piedras Blancas Light Station Outstanding Natural Area"
(Bakersfield Field Office)
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bakersfield/Programs/pbls.html |
NOT for EDUCATORS ONLY:
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WILDLIFE TRIVIA QUESTION of the WEEK:
How long do white-footed mice usually live in the wild?
(a.) less than twelve months
(b) from two to three years
(c) they die after their first breeding cycle
(d.) up to 14 years
(e.) only until Labor Day
See answer - and more wildlife stories - near the end of this News.bytes. |
 WILD HORSES AND BURROS
 "40 Horses and Burros up for Adoption in Oakdale" (The Modesto Bee, 5/4/13) Do you consider yourself a horse
whisperer? Or a burro whisperer? If so, you might want to be in Oakdale in mid-May for the latest adoption event for wild horses and burros from federal land. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management plans to have up to 40 animals available to people who agree to pay the fee and provide proper care. The
basic fee is $125, but it can rise if prospective owners bid it up at the adoption event. http://www.modbee.com/2013/05/04/2701005/40-horses-and-burros-up-for-adoption.html
"New Interior Secretary Sally Jewell Waiting For Study on Wild Horses"
(The Denver Post, 5/7/13)
New Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said that she is still undecided about how to handle a burgeoning wild horse and burro population that is eating more than half the horse budget at the BLM and sparking outrage among wild horse advocates. Jewell said in an interview with The Denver Post
that she is awaiting a National Academy of Sciences study, slated to come out in early June, to determine how best to handle the horses.
http://www.ca.blm.gov/23kd
 "110 Wild Horses Adopted in Norco's Extreme Mustang Makeover and Mustang Million Competitions" (News.bytes
Extra)
One hundred ten mustangs have new homes after adoptions this weekend at the Ingalls Equestrian Event Center in Norco, Horsetown USA. The wild horses from California and Nevada Herd Management Areas were adopted through the Extreme Mustang Makeover and Mustang Million competitions managed by
The Mustang Heritage Foundation. The foundation assists the Bureau of Land Management in its Wild Horse & Burro Adoption Program. http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2013/579_extra_-_extreme.html |
HEADLINES and HIGHLIGHTS
"BLM Seeks Dumont Dunes Subgroup Members" (BLM, 5/8/13)
The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) California Desert District is soliciting nominations from the public for eight members of its Dumont Dunes Subgroup of the District Advisory Council to serve a three-year term. Members provide advice and recommendations to the Council on the
management of the Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area in eastern San Bernardino County north of Baker, Calif. Selection and appointment of subgroup members is by the DAC with the concurrence of the Designated Federal Official. Persons wishing to apply for consideration as a member of the
Dumont Dunes Subgroup of the DAC should submit their application no later than June 10, 2013.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2013/may/dumontsubgroupmembers.html
 "Judge Axes Federal Suit Over Lake"
(San Francisco Chronicle, 5/3/13)
A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by Los Angeles against air quality regulators who are requiring the city to do more to control dust on a lake that was siphoned dry a century ago to provide water for the booming metropolis. Owens Lake air quality regulators agreed this summer will
be particularly dry and are working with the city to use less water on dust. http://www.ca.blm.gov/13kd
"Girl Scouts Seek High Adventure in Imperial Valley" (News.bytes Extra)
Girl Scouts from around the Imperial Valley participated in their annual High Adventure Camp, located at Sunbeam Lake in Seely, Calif. The girls, ranging in age from 6 to 15, made their way through a variety of activities that included kayaking, outdoor skills, and GPS Hide and Seek
taught by a park ranger from the BLM El Centro Field Office. http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2013/579_extra_-_girl_scouts.html
"BLM Desert Advisory Council to Meet in Ridgecrest" (BLM, 5/7/13)
The next meeting of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) California Desert Advisory Council (DAC) will be held Saturday, June 8 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Ridgecrest, Calif. at a location to be announced later. There also will be a DAC Business Meeting on Friday, June 7, from noon
to 4:30 p.m. at the Jawbone Station Visitors Center, California Highway 14 and Jawbone Canyon Rd., Cantil, Calif.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2013/may/dacmtg-ridgecrest.html |
ENERGY
 "Solar Power: Developers Close to Flipping the Switch"
(The Press-Enterprise, 5/3/13)
Nearly four years after the fanfare, the Obama administration's vision of tapping California desert sunshine to fight climate change is getting close to becoming a reality. The developers of three commercial-scale solar projects on public land in Riverside and San Bernardino counties say they will
start feeding the electrical grid this fall, if not earlier: Genesis, about 25 miles west of Blythe, being built by NextEra Energy Resources using thermal troughs to collect solar energy. Desert Sunlight, north of Desert Center, a photovoltaic development by First Solar. Ivanpah, in northeast San
Bernardino County near Primm, Nev., built by BrightSource Energy Co. using mirrors to focus heat on a central tower. http://www.ca.blm.gov/43kd
"BLM Postpones California Oil and Gas Lease Sale" (BLM, 5/3/13)
Due to budget constraints resulting from the sequester and an emphasis on the higher priorities for conducting Inspection and Enforcement on existing leases and processing new Applications for Permit to Drill, the California State Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
postponed all oil and gas lease sales in California for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2013 (September 30, 2013). The BLM had tentatively scheduled a competitive oil and gas lease sale on Wednesday, May 22, to offer four parcels that encompass approximately 1,278 acres of public lands in Fresno and
Kern counties. For questions regarding the postponement of the lease sales, contact Dave Christy at (916) 941-3146. http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2013/may/postponedleasesale.html |
NATIONAL BLM and DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR
 "Architect of Public Lands Solar Policy to Leave Interior"
(KCET ReWire, 5/6/13)
Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes, who's generally credited with drafting the U.S. Interior Department's massive expansion of renewable energy development on public lands since 2009, will be leaving his post for a job at Stanford University. Hayes announced his resignation on April 30,
and will be leaving his post at the end of June. As second-in-command at Interior, Hayes oversaw the implementation of Interior's development of programs such as the Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) and its fast-tracking of wind energy developments on public lands. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/government/architect-of-public-lands-solar-policy-to-leave-interior.html
 "New Interior Chief Savors a Steep Learning Curve" (The New York Times, 4/29/13) Ms. Jewell, 57,
who has climbed Mount Rainier seven times along with some of the world's highest peaks, said that she is happiest on the steepest part of the learning curve. A woman of untamed energy, competitiveness and confidence in the boardroom and on a mountain trail, she is undertaking perhaps the greatest
challenge of her life as she assumes command of a huge bureaucracy in a city that festers barely above sea level. http://www.ca.blm.gov/33kd |
SELECTED UPCOMING EVENTS
May 11 - Fort Ord National Monument One Year Anniversary Celebration
Join us Saturday for guided hikes/rides, refreshments, and music. Learn more and register at
http://fortfriends.net/
May 18 & 19 - "Horses, Burros Available for Adoption in Oakdale" (BLM, 5/3/13)
Residents of Oakdale and surrounding areas will have the opportunity to add a horse or burro to their families, when the Bureau of Land Management brings its Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program to the Oakdale Saddle Club, 1624 F St., on Saturday and Sunday, May 18 and May 19. The BLM will
offer 30 horses, mostly yearlings, and 10 burros for public adoption. Anyone interested can preview the animals when they arrive at about 4 p.m. on Friday, May 17. The event gates will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Adoptions begin with an hour of silent bidding at 10 a.m.
Saturday. Animals not taken during bidding will be available for a $125 adoption fee. http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2013/may/oakdaleadoption.html |
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News.bytes published by
Bureau of Land Management
California State Office
2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-1834
Sacramento, Ca 95825
(916) 978-4600
http://www.blm.gov/ca/
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